Angel

See: Puella Malefica

Afterlife

A mysterious plane of existence in which certain end up after their body perishes in the realm of the living. Very little is known about the afterlife, except that it is governed by the omniscient and unknowable Hierarchy.

Artifact

An object which contains the soul or a piece of the soul of a Puella Magi. It is created in the rare case when, if a Puella Magi’s Soul Gem is destroyed, the fleeting soul latches onto an object that is particularly precious to the Puella Magi in question, rather than fading away entirely. An artifact allows its wielder to use the powers of the Puella Magi whose soul houses within for themselves, though it can only be used by those the Puella Magi held dear, unless ownership is transferred through the explicit permission of the previous owner.

Barrier

A pocket dimension, also referred to as “labyrinth”, used by a Witch to conceal herself. Normally, only a Puella Magi has the ability to enter barriers by holding her Soul Gem up to the seal separating the Witch’s realm from the “real” world. Regular humans who have been affected by a Witch’s kiss, however, may also wander in by accident. When a Witch dies, its barrier crumbles, and every living being still contained within is transported back to the “real” world.

Conductor

A person who uses a magical artifact towards the goal of fighting Witches without the need to make a contract with an Incubator.

Doppel

A manifestation of the Witch a Puella Magi would turn into if her Soul Gem ever became corrupted. An experienced Puella Mag can channel her Doppel using a technique known as Venefica in Puella, or in exceptional circumstances even summon it.

Dreamscape

A plane of existence — in reality a barrier — that serves as a safe haven for damaged souls or souls with no body to return to. At the whims of its proprietor, the owner of the artifact known as the Troubadour’s Masque, souls can be drawn into the Dreamscape in their moment of need, giving them the opportunity to heal or even live on without a body. While those souls that have no body to go back to wander the Dreamscape endlessly, those who were merely pulled in to recover can only access it when their bodies are asleep in the waking world.

Familiar

A weaker, monstrous creature divided out of the essence of a Witch. Though normally assigned the task of maintaining and defending the barrier of the Witch they spawned from, familiars can eventually gain independence and stray to form their own barriers and grow into Witches of their own.

Ghost

A Puella Magi whose Soul Gem has reached the final stage of its life cycle. In this stage, the Soul Gem no longer accumulates corruption, and as such no longer requires cleansing through the use of a Grief Seed. It can be the result of the Puella Magi either surviving for several decades without turning into a Witch or overexerting her powers, and strips her of the ability to use magic. Nevertheless, even in the final stage of its life cycle, the Soul Gem continues to extend its owner’s lifespan by several decades until it eventually withers away, leaving only an empty shell of a body behind.

Grief Seed

A mysterious trinket which occasionally appears after a Witch is defeated. A Puella Magi can use this items to drain the corruption that slowly accumulates into her Soul Gem and restore her depleted magical energy, a process which is known as “cleansing”. Afterwards, it must be properly disposed of by feeding it to an Incubator, or else it might eventually spawn a new Witch. In reality, the Grief Seed is what remains of a Puella Magi’s Soul Gem after she has turned into a Witch.

Hierarchy

The omniscient and unknowable governing body of the afterlife. While it generally does not involve itself in the affairs of the living, the Hierarchy takes great offence when this covenant is violated, and will punish perpetrators accordingly.

Incubator

A member of a mysterious alien race that seeks to prevent the heat death of the universe by harvesting the energy that is unleashed when a Puella Magi turns into a Witch. To this end, an incubator will target girls, usually between the ages of 12 and 18, and talk them into making a “contract”. In exchange for the granting of a single wish, the incubator creates a Soul Gem out of the girl’s soul, awakening her magical powers. Generally dismissive of the suffering this contract usually ends up causing, the incubators understand little of human morality and will do anything to recruit more girls to their cause.

Magia

A special additional power a Puella Magi can use on top of her regular abilities, which can be either a particular ability, or a secondary transformation that gives the user a general power boost. It is earned as its user reaches self-actualization, by discovering, acknowledging and living up to her ultimate purpose in life.

Magical girl

See: Puella Magi

Labyrinth

See: Barrier

Puella Magi

A girl who has made a contract with an incubator — having her wish granted in exchange for magical powers, including supernatural strength and reflexes, the ability to “transform” into an outfit specifically designed to reflect the wearer’s personality and abilities, and the ability to telepathically communicate with others, as well as a custom power inspired by her wish, personality or talents.

A Puella Magi is functionally immortal and can regenerate from any wound as long as her Soul Gem is within reach. As a result, she do not physically age, and the only way for a Puella Magi to truly die is for her Soul Gem to be either destroyed or corrupted by grief, the latter transforming her into a Witch. It is for this reason that the incubators target young girls, as they believe this demographic to be the most emotionally volatile and therefore most likely to succumb to despair.

Puella Malefica

A hybrid being created when a Puella Magi’s soul is corrupted before her Soul Gem has completely formed, essentially turning her into a Witch before her contract is fulfilled. This usually happens as the result of a wish so powerful or ill-advised it instantly corrupts the beneficiary, though other methods exist as well.

A Puella Malefica possesses the full range of power of both a Puella Magi and a Witch, and combines the intellect of the former with the savage, malicious nature of the latter. Unlike a Witch, however, a Puella Malefica is not confined to her barrier. She can only be defeated by somehow separating her human and Witch halves.

Soul Gem

A trinket that serves as the source of a Puella Magi‘s magical power and a vessel for her soul; her body being a mere husk that is remotely controlled by the Gem. It takes the form of a ring when the Puella Magi is not currently using her power, and only takes its true form when she transforms. Whenever a Puella Magi uses her magical powers, the Soul Gem accumulates corruption, a process which can be sped up significantly by emotional turmoil. The only way to rid the Gem of this corruption is to “cleanse” it with a Grief Seed.

Venefica in Puella

A secondary transformation a Puella Magi can use on top of her regular abilities, by allowing the Witch slumbering within to temporarily take control of her body. As it involves embracing the darkness within rather than overcoming it, it can be considered an alternative to Magia.

Walpurgisnacht

A gargantuan Witch that is created when a large number of Soul Gems are corrupted at the same time, and is impossible for a single Puella Magi to handle on her own. Unlike other Witches, it has no barrier, and can directly appear in and interact with the physical world.

Witch

A evil creature birthed by a Grief Seed, either as the result of a Puella Magi‘s Soul Gem being corrupted or by spawning from the familiar of an already existing Witch. Witches only exist to bring forth chaos and despair, luring innocent humans into their barriers to prey on them. The appearance and powers of a Witch can vary wildly, ranging from humanoid to unfathomable and grotesque.

Witch’s kiss

A symbol that appears on a human targeted by a Witch or a Puella Malefica. Those marked by this symbol are compelled to carry out the Witch’s commands, luring them towards their barrier or towards carrying out heinous acts in the Witch’s name.